The first thing I noticed was the warmth of the sun on my face. The second was the clear blue sky too perfect, too vibrant. And then came the chirping. Not from birds I knew, but from Pokémon.
I shot up, heart racing.
"Where the hell am I?"
Tall grass surrounded me. A dirt path ran nearby, and in the distance, a village like something straight out of a Pokémon game. But this wasn't a screen. This was real. My hands trembled as I stared at my fingers. This wasn't VR.
Before I could panic further, a digital ding echoed around me.
Welcome, New Trainer!
Initializing Cobblemon System...
[Analyzing Surroundings...]
[Biome: Grassland]
[Starter Selection Unlocked]
A floating interface appeared in front of me. Blocky and pixelated just like the modded Cobblemon UI from Minecraft. Three rotating icons hovered in place: Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur, each rendered in blocky 3D.
My jaw dropped.
"I'm in the Pokémon world... but I have a Cobblemon system?"
The interface blinked expectantly.
I hesitated for just a moment before tapping on Charmander.
You selected: Charmander [Lv. 5]
Ability: Blaze
Held Item Slot: Empty
Inventory, Crafting Menu, Pokédex Unlocked
Good luck, Trainer!
A soft whir of pixelated particles formed beside me, and a low growl echoed. Charmander appeared with a flick of flames from its tail. Its eyes met mine, curious and a little wary.
"Char?"
Despite the slightly blocky look, it was alive. Breathing. Real.
But then I blinked.
When I looked directly at it, it was blocky like a voxel-based creature. But when I glanced away and back quickly, it appeared completely normal. I furrowed my brow.
Was it... only me?
I waved my hand near its head, observing the crisp, square-edged model of the Charmander.
"Hey there... I guess you're my partner now."
The fire-type blinked, then nodded slowly.
My mind spun. The UI had tabs inventory, crafting, party, map. I opened the crafting menu. Poké Balls, potions, status heals, even evolution stones all available, if I could find the right materials.
"So I can gather and craft just like in Cobblemon... but I'm in the real Pokémon world."
I opened the map tab. It was still mostly blank, but a marker labeled "Pallet Town" was flashing nearby.
A familiar name.
"Okay. First stop: Pallet Town. Maybe someone there can help me figure this out."
Charmander grinned, fire tail flickering as it followed me toward the trail. My heart was pounding, but there was also a rush like starting a new save file but knowing the stakes were real.
This wasn't just a game.
This was my new life.
And I had a system.